Circle Poncho DIY

Looking for a quick rain coat for your little one? I happened to be on the market for two new raincoats since my kids outgrew their ones from a couple of years ago. I stumbled across this adorable rainbow polka dot Sunny Skies fabric by Riley Blake in cotton laminate (my favorite), and fell head over heels. And an easy Circle Poncho Raincoat was born.

Circle Poncho Raincoat DIY.

What is not to love?! Instead of a structured rain coat, this fun and happy fabric needed a swinging style. And I was more than happy to whip something up for the youngest daughter in the house.

Making one is pretty simple. Don’t be scared off by working with laminates, it isn’t as hard as you think! I really love working with this versatile fabric. Let me show you what I did to make this poncho.

MATERIALS:

1.5 yds laminate cotton – Exterior Fabric

1.5 yds Cotton – Lining

T-Shirt that fits well for pattern

Basic Sewing Essentials

HOW TO:

You can actually omit cutting the armholes if you don’t want to add sleeves to the poncho. I like sleeves for my kids so they can still wear their backpacks in the rainy weather.

I always make my sleeves longer than necessary, lesson I have learned throughout the years to extend the life of your kids clothing!

The great thing when you are doing all of this with the laminate is that you are working with the wrong side constantly against the sewing machine, so you don’t need to worry about the ‘sticky’ factor.

Now for the hood. Grab a pre-existing hooded sweatshirt for pattern sizing.

Be sure to add extra room around the back and top of hoodie for pattern for a nice roomy hood.

I like using this method for hemming the sleeves as it eliminates any tricky sewing with the laminate. Your machine is always on the cotton!

You will be thrilled with this poncho, and it will last for a couple of years (which in kid life is an eternity). Cotton laminate can go in the washer and dryer, or better yet – just get wiped off. How stinking cool is that?! And with all of the absolutely fantastic designs coming out now in this fabulous fabric – you just have to try working with it for yourself!!!

Got some skills? Try sewing an inside back panel pocket so that the poncho can fold in on itself and turn into a bag you can carry around. You know you want to. Later on this month I get to show off the more structured raincoat I made for my eldest daughter Chloe, using Riley Blake’s Fly a Kite laminate. Love, love, love, love, love.

Jess Abbott the Sewing Rabbit is the founder and creative director behind the me sew crazy blog, as well as SewSet.com, 5 & 10 Designs, GNO Events, and co-editor of STYLO. She resides in Virginia Beach with her husband and 3 children. Website: http://www.mesewcrazy.com

What an adorable coat! I swear you're the only sewing blog that makes things for your kids that I think, "That is way cuter than what I've seen in stores!" Really. Sometimes things are cute just because they are hand sewn, but yours are so far beyond that! I love the circle shape. And the fabric.

i was just saying i needed to get my 2 girls raincoats. oh and my little guy could use one too! how adorable and love the shape of it! and that fabric is fabulous!!! wish i had some to match the dresses i just made for the girls last night. once you see them you will totally see why:) the colors match perfectly!

Oh this is so funny. I had almost this exact poncho planned and even sketched out, thinking I'd make it for the Project Run & Play sewalong (circle skirt remix). I never got around to it, but isn't it crazy how that happens sometimes? Love your version, thanks for posting the tutorial! Now I definitely know it works. :D

that is so funny Kristin! I have had that happen to me before too. I was just thinking, how easy would it be to use a circle for a poncho...and there you go! I had to try it :). It is definitely easier if you omit the sleeves altogether.

Super cute! I have a huge stash of oilcloth and maybe some cotton laminate, but I haven't found a teflon foot that fits my machine. Maybe I wouldn't need one with this?? I think it would be cozy with some flannel on the inside, too. Thanks for the ideas!! I bet you could sell a million of these at your craft fair!

Be careful when using oilcloth where kids will come in contact with it. You can find this info in various places around the web. This is from Oilcloth Addict: "because oilcloth contains phthalates it is not intended for baby items or kids under 12

Really fun tutorial! Thanks for sharing. I've been wanting to make a dressy cape/poncho for Baby Girl, so know I know how to make a lovely one for church and a fun one for when it rains. We live in the Pacific NW, so the rain poncho will get LOTS of use.

I wanna make one for my 2 1/2 yo granddaughter but I could use a little more info on how to determine the curve portion of the sleeve top. I know it's not just random cutting. �� Same for the base of the hood. Tips?

Follow the curve of your armsleeve from the shirt you are using for pattern size. Do the same when cutting your sleeve curve, this way they will be the same size. You will need to do a little finagling when it comes to pinning the sleeve into the circle, as it is not your typical sleeve opening, more circular than arced. But it still works. Hope this helps!

I'm hoping to start this project today! Thanks for the tutorial. Also, I recently read about putting scotch tape on your pressure foot to help with sewing vinyl. It works great, and maybe it would help with the laminate, too. Here's the link: http://roseycornercreations.blogspot.com/2011/05/too-cute-card-keeper-with-clear-vinyl.html

I cut all the pieces today (I have very limited time to do things around here with three kids - haha) and tomorrow will be sewing them together. I wonder what it would look like if I made this out of a black wool material, but omit the sleeves? I bet it would be super cute with a long sleeve white top underneath and a little black pencil skirt with sparkle tights (on my little one of course!). She would look like Audrey Hepburn! I am going to do that next!

So.....I tried to make this with some normal fabric (hot pink cotton) and it didn't turn out all that well. The sleeves were not right.....I think I need an actual pattern for sleeves lol. But without sleeves it was nicer so I am making a poncho for her without sleeves on it in hot pink, but will have to find an actual pattern to figure out one for myself....oh well haha.

Hello Shelly - Thanks so much for asking! I can honestly say, I wouldn't recommend this tutorial for adult sizes. Women's shoulder span are much greater than a child's, and I don't believe this would fit / fall the way you want it to.

What I do recommend is a pattern that my good friend Andrea recently came out with - a cape for adults that is fantastic - http://gotopatterns.com/products/go_to_cape_for_women/

Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend it Denise. I would personally want a more tailored fit in a poncho for myself. I would recommend the Go To Women's Cape pattern found here: http://gotopatterns.com/collections/go-to-patterns/products/go-to-cape-for-women

Hi Jess, We live in remote Northern Territory, Australia. Its wet season here, quite monsoonal this week so yesterday our nanny asked me for some raincoats for the kids because the Drizabones are too hot. Today I cut up an old tent and made these easy little lightweight ponchos to keep the rain off. The third one only took an hour. ... Put a bow at the front for the little girls with some old ribbon. Thank you for your free tips. Perfect. Of course I sourced bought ones online (lovely & professional for only $8) but figured that by the time they arrived on the mail plane in a couple of weeks it will probably have stopped raining! So grateful I didn't have to re-invent the wheel to whip some up. Your pattern images were so good. Good work. Come visit any time!

Fantastic idea! Last year I was in a wheelchair, and thought that a poncho was needed for when it rains. If I hold an umbrella, the person pushing my chair would still get soaked, and probably stuck in the eye with it. The rain coat I have, only goes to hip length, so my knees still got wet.I'm having another relapse, and decided that if I was going to be using the wheelchair again, I'd get a poncho. I want one that is rain resistant, but in a fabric like what trench coats are made out of. Your pattern explanation is fantastic, I should be able to make one that will fit me, for not an outrageously expense.

Women have broader shoulders than children, so I would probably not recommend this as the fit would be way off. But if you have an old sheet to experiment on, go for it! I just wouldn't try it for women on nice fabric, until you know how to it will fit first.

Another option is to use this pattern: http://gotopatterns.com/products/go-to-cape-for-women

Would be a nicer fit for adult women! Thanks so much for reaching out and asking, and have a great day!- Jess

I wanted to either make or purchase a couple of rain coats for my little daycare girls to use when they come over to play on rainy days. We have a couple of big consignment sales coming up and I'll check there - but I'll probably end up making them as I'm sure they will disappear before I can get to the sale! LOL

I think I'd prefer the sleeves as well so they can play in the water....

Danielle & Jess - I made up a cape for myself years ago (and still have it) out of fleece. They are very warm and comfortable and I've gotten loads of compliments on it. =D I used an actual pattern (not sure which pattern company right now) - mine has a tie around the waist and I prefer that as it makes it look more like a coat from the front and it keeps it from getting in your way.